It is estimated that there are well over a million houses in Guatemala cobbled together with cornstalks, cane, and scavenged materials. During the wet months - from June to November - wind driven rain blows through the wall, drips from the roofs, and often turns dirt floors into parasitic muck. Of course lattice-like walls provide little privacy and no security – leaving a family’s belongings subject to theft as well.Click to see a photo slide viewer of building a house in Guatemala.

In Guatemala today, only 42% of rural children finish primary school, the average length of study being only 3.5 years. The indigenous, particularly girls, have the least access to education. Guatemala spends a smaller percentage of it GDP on education than does any other Latin American or Caribbean country, resulting in fewer literate people ages 15-24 than anywhere else in the region.Read more and see photos.